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(04/17/17 4:13pm)
by Preston Radtke
After the unparalleled success of 2014’s Brill Bruisers and the ominous silence that followed, few people expected to hear much from Canadian supergroup New Pornographers in 2017. Six albums in, three years seemed like the midpoint of a prolonged gap between releases. However, on January 26, to universal surprise, the New Pornographers announced the release of their seventh project, Whiteout Conditions. Whiteout Conditions finds the band sticking to their youth-centered indie pop rock, splashed with synths and baroque pop-inspired piano sections. The record however is noticeably less quirky and free-spirited than previous New Pornographers material. Furthermore, the group delves deeper into the usage of synthetics and nontraditional harmonies.
Vocals: The New Pornographers and Neko
Twenty years in and the prominence of Neko Case in the band is still slightly perplexing. Neko Case has garnered much acclaim and accolades in her solo career, which has been . A solo career built singularly on dreamy to moody folk rock. Her solo vocal performances feature much more intimate and gentle vocals. Of course, her performance with the New Pornographers is anything but. Her vocals have allowed the New Pornographers to execute crafting accessible, dance-ready, long-range indie pop anthems that have become favorites of fans of all ages. Whiteout Conditions is no different: “This Is the World of the Theater” and the lead single “High Ticket Attractions” find Case at her vocal peak, both navigating the pieces through high vocal skies and serving as the more high-pitched echo of co-vocalist A.C. Newman. “Colosseums” is one of the rare instances in the band’s history where Case’s solo work blatantly overlaps with her band work. The song features many of the same melodic, inflection-driven motifs that Case utilizes outside of the band. A.C. Newman needs mention here only for the fact that his contributions serve as perfect accompaniment and foreshadowing for Case. Newman’s delivery has changed minimally since the band was founded in 1997; he still very sparingly sings without the backing of Case, and his vocal risks are completely nonexistent. If you were looking for Newman to climb the vocal ladder and add a new element to the band through male-fronted vocal peaking, then Newman unfortunately does not come through. That being said, Newman has never taken any vocal adventures, instead serving as the middle ground and vocal straight man to Neko’s aggression and vocalic acrobatics.
Mood: Fun not always guaranteed
The New Pornographers have formed their aesthetic on quirkiness and inherent kitsch. Songs like “The Laws Have Changed” and “Sing Me Spanish Techno” have allowed the band to emulate a certain universal energy while poking fun at other outfits who try to be deep and “meaningful.” There are certainly elements of spunk and finger pointing on Whiteout Conditions, but the album as a whole takes on a more measured and suburban sound. “Whiteout Conditions” and “Play Money” are works that focus more on meticulous harmonic progressions and drum interplay and less on all-inclusive choruses and vocal juxtapositions. “Play Money” starts out sounding like a cut off of Mass Romantic through use of rhythmic and lyrical progression. The song keeps building and building upon itself, adding more layered drum interplays and vocal repetition. Previous New Pornographers encounters have trained the listener to expect either a loosely controlled, chaotic chorus or a resolutionary climax at the conclusion featuring Newman/Case/Bejar minstrelizations, teamed guitars, and obnoxious percussives. However, “Play Money” never reaches any pronounced chorus or climax; the listener instead keeps waiting, and anticipating. The song is essentially a bridge to nowhere. Though shocking in its style, “Play Money” features some of the most artfully crafted harmonies and melodies found on any New Pornographers release. The song is a perfect balance of energy and experimentation for the band.
Synthetics: The true Electric Version
Brill Bruisers left a deep impression on the band. The 2014 album was the band’s first record that featured prominent synthetics and keyboards. These innovations allowed the group to become more accessible and dynamic. Whiteout Conditions pushes the electric envelope even further. “We’ve Been Here Before”, “Juke”, and “Clockwise” are electronic-leaning explorations of the band’s more experimental constructs. The pieces feature traditional choruses, but they also feature much distortion, reverb, and obvious synthetic constructs. The usage of electronic instrumentation has also allowed the band to utilize elements of baroque pop, and even prog rock.
Note:
Guitarist/vocalist Dan Bejar does not appear on this album, as the writing conflicted with a Destroyer album he was working on. Case stated that though Bejar isn’t on Whiteout Conditions, he will still contribute to future New Pornographers content.
Top Tracks:
“Play Money”
“High Ticket Attractions”
“Second Sleep”
“Clockwise”
Also in the Whiteout Conditions Family:
The Decemberists: The King is Dead
Sloan: Never Hear the End of It
Metric: Fantasies
All images from The Current
(04/14/17 8:05am)
by Preston Radtke
The highly anticipated and hyped Gorillaz album Humanz gained even more clarity with the release of “Let Me Out”, the fifth single to be released by the UK project since the end of March. As with most Gorillaz songs, “Let Me Out” featured guests both obvious and nontraditional for the genre with hip-hop artist Pusha T, and blues legend Mavis Staples. “Let Me Out” is a masterful conglomeration of three independent and extremely successful musicians that came together to produce Gorillaz most radio-ready song since Plastic Beach’s “Rhinestone Eyes.”
Structurally, “Let Me Out” starts out quietly, featuring a static white-noise construct that props up Pusha T’s opening vocalizations and allows for a steady, utilitarian beat. Staples makes her presence known on the song’s defacto chorus, where she provides some grit to the piece with her rough, blues-inspired deliveries. Damon Albarn, the soul consistent musician in Gorillaz, isn’t as present on this track as on others. His vocalizations sound almost muted and distant. It’s apparent that this particular Gorillaz song was more an avenue to showcase the groups synthetic and instrumental abilities, and not their vocal ones, hence the prominence of Pusha T and Ms. Staples. “Let Me Out” operates as a dance ready hip-hop fusion piece with political and social undertones. The distorted and haunting “Let Me Out” verse grounds the song and doesn’t allow the listener to get swept up in synths and inherent revelry.
Pusha T’s performance on “Let Me Out” is truly remarkable. His rhymes and his beat-conscious delivery propel the song to the top of the Gorillaz pyramid. Mavis Staples’s work on the song reminds listeners just how versatile and surprisingly accessible she can still be after so many years. Her measured yet confident delivery and lyricism give the song the maturity and credibility that it would have lacked had they decided to go with another vocalist.
The song’s sound is very Gorillaz yet slightly more pop-ready. The barrage of diverse vocalists and distortions should not distract from the fact that this is one of the more traditional and straightforward Gorillaz songs to date. Aside from Staples’s gruff and soulful contributions, the song features no lo-fi or bare instrumentation. “Let Me Out” is a polished, well-mixed dance ballad with a hint of politicization.
Other Members of the Let Me Out Family:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: “Heads Will Roll”
RJD2: “Work”
Massive Attack: “Tear Drop”
All Images From: Nerdist
(04/14/17 5:59pm)
The highly anticipated and hyped Gorillaz album Humanz gained even more clarity with the release of “Let Me Out”, the fifth single to be released by the UK project since the end of March. As with most Gorillaz songs, “Let Me Out” featured guests both obvious and nontraditional for the genre with hip-hop artist Pusha T, and blues legend Mavis Staples. “Let Me Out” is a masterful conglomeration of three independent and extremely successful musicians that came together to produce Gorillaz most radio-ready song since Plastic Beach’s “Rhinestone Eyes.”
(04/13/17 6:23pm)
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to know what to expect from Mastodon. Their first four albums, which were spread out across the first decade of the century, singlehandedly brought sludge metal to new heights of popularity, impressing hardcore and casual metal listeners alike. In the early 2010s, the band suddenly switched to a slicked-back, easily digestible sound, which brought them commercial success, but little appreciation from fans and critics. Though their most recent album Once More Round the Sun did not reach the heights of Leviathan, it was enough of a recovery for fans of early Mastodon to be justifiably excited for what came next. Sadly, though, their new album Emperor of Sand is not the return to form that it could have been. It sounds acceptable on the surface, but it doesn’t take much digging to uncover the tired mess underneath.
(04/13/17 12:14am)
Aimee Mann’s previous eight releases were a frustrating mirage of beauty. Though certainly effective and noteworthy in their substance, many critics claimed that the singer/songwriter was producing in the shadows of musicians much greater. Musicians like Joanie Mitchell, Chrissie Hynde, and, you know it’s coming, Sarah McLaughlin. Mental Illness, however, is a miraculous result of vintage Mann songwriting, coming-of-age lyrics, and innovative guitars. At 56, Ms. Mann appears to have finally and unequivocally sectioned off her own part in the folk rock scene.
(04/11/17 11:15am)
by Ryan Fine
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to know what to expect from Mastodon. Their first four albums, which were spread out across the first decade of the century, singlehandedly brought sludge metal to new heights of popularity, impressing hardcore and casual metal listeners alike. In the early 2010s, the band suddenly switched to a slicked-back, easily digestible sound, which brought them commercial success, but little appreciation from fans and critics. Though their most recent album Once More Round the Sun did not reach the heights of Leviathan, it was enough of a recovery for fans of early Mastodon to be justifiably excited for what came next. Sadly, though, their new album Emperor of Sand is not the return to form that it could have been. It sounds acceptable on the surface, but it doesn’t take much digging to uncover the tired mess underneath.
Clean production as a crutch
Emperor of Sand was produced by the band’s old friend Brendan O’Brien. O’Brien previously collaborated with the band on their 2009 monolith Crack the Skye and was a big part of what made that album great. Unfortunately for him, however, he’s not working with nearly the musical caliber anymore that he was back then. He deserves a lot of credit for holding this album together, but using a polished production sound to mask weak songwriting is a lot like showering with Febreze. You won’t end up smelling like flowers; you’ll just smell like Febreze and dirt.
Despite his best efforts to mix some of the classic unforgiving Mastodon sound with their recent radio-ready alternative metal, for the most part this album still veers closest to the band’s 2011 disaster: The Hunter. Even though Emperor of Sand may beat out its predecessor in the famed Loudness War, it has the same general sound once you even out the levels. Though its album cover may try to argue, this is another shallow Mastodon release with not much to offer apart from distorted guitars.
Someone left the cheese out for too long
There’s a lot about this album that isn’t spectacular, but by far its most glaring flaw is its lyrics. For some reason, Mastodon is digging up all of the cheesiest lines from the metal music of decades ago, to the point where it feels more like a parody. Lines about prophecies being realized and being afraid of yourself plague this record like mold. Like most Mastodon records, this album follows a story-line, which in some ways dictates what the words are about. However, coming from a band who masterfully crafted an album based on "Moby Dick" a decade ago, this is no excuse.
Possibly the worst offenders on the album are the disappointing single “Show Yourself” and the relatively deep cut “Word to the Wise”. The former is essentially just a basic alternative rock song with a metal sound. It abuses basic metal clichés like “only you can save yourself” while trying and failing to sound edgy. The latter tries to sound more like classic metal, introducing half-baked fantasy anecdotes like “I fell into a pit of lies.” There’s a reason we left this stuff in the 80s, and coming from innovators like Mastodon, it sounds even more dated.
Past, present…no future
Mastodon used to be on the cutting edge of metal music. In their early days, they paid homage to the past in subtle enough ways that their sound stayed almost entirely unique and innovative. With their newest release they have begun pulling more from their influences and contemporaries than ever before, and many of these tracks actually sound like they could have been written by any of the watered-down alternative rock groups whom Mastodon themselves have inspired.
Several of the louder tracks, like “Precious Stones” and “Sultan’s Curse”, would be perfectly believable as Avenged Sevenfold songs. The closing track “Jaguar God” is a slow ballad that mirrors Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” a little bit too closely. In moderation there’s nothing wrong with bands wearing their influences on their sleeves. The problem is that Mastodon goes past straight-up admiration, taking ideas without offering anything new of their own. There’s no band in the universe who can keep moving forward forever, but it’s still disappointing to watch Mastodon take yet another step backward.
Best tracks:
“Ancient Kingdom”
“Andromeda”
“Scorpion Breath”
Recommended if you like:
Avenged Sevenfold
Coheed and Cambria
Metallica
All Images From: Youtube
(04/11/17 6:30am)
by Preston Radtke
Aimee Mann’s previous eight releases were a frustrating mirage of beauty. Though certainly effective and noteworthy in their substance, many critics claimed that the singer/songwriter was producing in the shadows of musicians much greater. Musicians like Joanie Mitchell, Chrissie Hynde, and, you know it’s coming, Sarah McLaughlin. Mental Illness, however, is a miraculous result of vintage Mann songwriting, coming-of-age lyrics, and innovative guitars. At 56, Ms. Mann appears to have finally and unequivocally sectioned off her own part in the folk rock scene.
Mood: a masterpiece at long last
Aimee Mann had never truly perfected mood on her previous releases. Albums such as Lost in Space and Charmer hinted at the rustic, pastoral feel of Mental Illness, but both still maintained the coffee shop/library aesthetic that many of her critics ridiculed her on. However, Mental Illness blends rhythmic guitars, heartfelt lyrics, and Mann’s Earthy voice into a collection of tracks that could all serve as soundtracks to Mann’s Virginia upbringing. Take the first track, “Goose Sow Cone”, a track that features a simple, yet consistent guitar loop, no percussion, and Mann at her songwriting peak. “Goose Sow Cone” emulates a meticulous rhythm that feels almost like a river. The lack of percussion isn’t exactly a new innovation for Mann, I’m With Stupid featured minimal percussion, but it’s this album's timing that truly empower the lack of drums.
Meaning: (shhh)
This album is understated in its meaning. Mann says a lot without saying much at all very loudly. Songs like “Patient Zero” and “Stuck in the Past” use minstrelization in a measured, yet cautionary manner. It’s not clear if Mann's talking to the listener or a younger self. On this album she warns against being cheated, being modified, and losing one's identity. Oddly enough, the slightly stylistic shift for Mann on this album nearly imply that she’s talking to herself. Previous Mann releases were decidedly more commercial and accessible, hence the numerous and overdone comparisons. On this record though, Mann preaches a sermon of individualism, and maybe even rediscovering oneself. Mann implies on Mental Illness that it was she that was lost, and sold out for radio stations and Billboard lists meanwhile her artistic value and individual status was nullified. Simple and peaceful as Mental Illness may sound, the record is a supremely effective portrait of what the popular music industry can do to the alternatively talented. Aimee Mann is an escaped prisoner, and Mental Illness is her memoir of her time held captive.
Odes: Mann dabbles, dabbles, and, dabbles some more
On her past recordings the comparisons to Sarah McLaughlin were omnipresent, yet true. I’m With Stupid and Whatever featured many of the same vocal melodies and instrumental constructs that McLaughlin employs to measured success. Furthermore, Mann’s apparent thematic nods to Joanie Mitchell also drew head shakes and eyebrow raises from the critics. Mental Illness, though, contains many homages and allusions to other artists while not overtaking Aimee’s newfound sound and mood. Actually, Mental Illness is coated in borrowed guitar sections and rhythms. “Goose Sow Cone” features a guitar melody that sounds like an Iron and Wine B-side. Her vocals, while still Mannian, sound like a vocal child of Father John Misty and the previously mentioned McLaughlin. However, Mann’s themes and aesthetics on this album are reminiscent of no singular artist, an occurrence that finally marks a new era for the underappreciated songstress.
Top Tracks:
“Goose Sow Cone”
“You Never Loved Me”
“Good For Me”
”Simple Fix”
Other Members of the Mental Illness Family:
Conor Oberst: Ruminations
Sam Bean & Jesca Hoop: Love Letter for Fire
Father John Misty: Pure Comedy
All Images From: Pop Justice
(04/10/17 2:49pm)
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(04/05/17 7:08pm)
Phil Elverum’s solo work as a musician began under the name The Microphones in 1999. His music has never been upbeat, and it has never been straightforward. Most of his albums, including the modern classic “The Glow Pt. 2”, sound incredibly well thought-out lyrically, while maintaining a stream-of-consciousness aesthetic and dodging typical song structures. Even after switching to the Mount Eerie moniker in 2003, all of the vital components of his unconventional sound have remained essentially the same.
(04/05/17 1:00pm)
by Ryan Fine
Phil Elverum’s solo work as a musician began under the name The Microphones in 1999. His music has never been upbeat, and it has never been straightforward. Most of his albums, including the modern classic "The Glow Pt. 2", sound incredibly well thought-out lyrically, while maintaining a stream-of-consciousness aesthetic and dodging typical song structures. Even after switching to the Mount Eerie moniker in 2003, all of the vital components of his unconventional sound have remained essentially the same.
"A Crow Looked at Me" is a little bit different, as it arrives in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy. In 2015, his wife and fellow artist Geneviève Castrée went in for a postpartum checkup after the birth of their daughter. When the results came back, she learned that she had stage-four pancreatic cancer, which she eventually died of in July of last year. The album that results from her death is as heartbreaking as one would expect. Although death has been a common subject in Elverum’s lyrics since the beginning, he has never written directly about it while the wounds of loss were so fresh.
Letters more than songs
Often, "A Crow Looked at Me" doesn’t seem like an album at all but rather a series of diary entries that Elverum has allowed the world to read. Almost every moment is addressed directly to Geneviève, though he knows she will never hear any of it. He spends most of the record singing over nothing but an acoustic guitar, and avoids making the tracks sound like real songs. The minimalistic instrumentation is partly because of his methods in making the album. Most of it was recorded while his daughter was asleep in the room where Geneviève died, as though that were the only place where she would hear him singing to her.
He often begins his songs with very specific updates: “Our daughter is one-and a half / You have been dead eleven days.” “It’s August 12, 2016 / You’ve been dead for one month and three days.” He tells her what he’s been thinking about or what happens when he talks about her in public. At one point during “Ravens”, the longest song on the album, he apologizes for selling her clothes when they moved after her death. Sometimes, listening to this album, I wonder if he was originally planning to release it at all or if he was just creating music as a method of therapy for himself. It’s great music, but Phil Elverum has always been a very private person, and it’s a big change for him to bear his soul for the world like this.
Looking for symbolism…
The second track on the album is “Seaweed”, and it tracks Phil Elverum trying to find some symbol or physical manifestation of his wife on Earth. He doesn’t remember if she liked Canada geese or not, so he doesn’t know if he’s supposed to find meaning in seeing hundreds of them on the beach. He tries again with foxglove flowers, but eventually gives up, not knowing whether things like birds and flowers can even have meaning anymore. The most beautiful line on the album comes at the very end when he pours Geneviève’s ashes onto a chair outside so she can watch the sunset. “But the truth is,” he confesses, “I don’t think of that dust as you. You are the sunset.”
Later, he returns to art and poetry with the song “Soria Moria.” Near the end of this song, he talks about a painting (Soria Moria by Theodor Kittelsen) that he saw while living in a cabin in Norway. In the painting, a kid looks through a foggy canyon onto a light, which symbolizes a faraway castle. Elverum compares himself to the boy in the painting, saying that “the distance from this haunted house where I live to Soria Moria is a real traversable space.”
Shortly after this, the final song “Crow” begins, and the title of the album is beautifully explained. This is the only song that is not addressed to his wife but rather to their daughter. He walks into her room one night to hear her murmur the word ‘crow’ a couple of times. He asks her if she is dreaming about a crow, but she doesn’t answer. Suddenly, a crow appears in the window, and Elverum seems to accept it as the spirit of Geneviève that he has been searching for the whole time.
…and coming up short
The main message of this album is obvious and simple: “Death is real.” It is the first line of the first song, and it recurs several times on various other tracks. With this mantra, Elverum is in some ways going back on the word of his entire career. He and countless other writers have painted death as a dark, mysterious unknown that can only be understood through abstract allegories. But in reality, death is not a skulking man in a black cloak. It’s just the moment when something with a pulse stops breathing.
The middle section of “Emptiness, Pt. 2” acknowledges this irony. Partially, the song seems to be a re-evaluation on the song “Emptiness” from his previous album Sauna. “Conceptual emptiness was cool to talk about,” he sings, “before I knew my way around these hospitals.” As death becomes more of a concrete concept in his mind, he has to get rid of his metaphoric tendencies in order to move on. In “Forest Fire”, he talks about how for the first few months, he left his windows and doors open so his wife could return home. Once the fall came around, this sweet gesture had to end, because the baby got cold.
“My Chasm” is a song about Elverum’s social life and how it has changed in the past months. He continues bringing up Geneviève in conversation uninvited and wonders whether people are tired of hearing him grieve. He realizes that while most other people will move on, he will be tortured by her absence for the rest of his life. As a listener, this song bears a sad implication. His next album will probably not be directly about this experience, but it will still be haunting him all the same. For someone this important to him, death is not just a fleeting experience that he can deal with and then get over. Death is permanent, and it is real.
Best tracks:
“Real Death”
“Seaweed”
“Swims”
“Soria Moria”
Recommended if you like:
Elliott Smith
Sun Kil Moon
Sufjan Stevens
All Images From: Immortal Reviews
(04/05/17 11:00am)
by Preston Radtke
The Jesus and Mary Chain have redefined the subgenre known as noise pop. Before their arrival to the semi-mainstream, the idea of fusing both noise rock and pop rock was an idea whispered about in basements and garages, but never acted on or partied to at bars and festivals. At their peak, The Jesus and Mary Chain were spoken about in the same breath as The Pixies and Grandaddy. Unfortunately, that peak happened in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Devoted followers of The Jesus and Mary Chain have been through a lot, from the unsurprising break-up in 1998, to the much ballyhooed reunion in 2007, and through all of the rumors and whispers of new material. Even with these rumors, the band only ever released compilation upon compilation of old material in the early 2010’s. On March 24, 2017, long-time fans' patience finally paid off. Damage and Joy, officially the band’s seventh studio album, is an exercise in nostalgia. Though the record contains several strong pieces, much of the album’s superlatives come in the form of allusions to the band’s heyday some twenty-five years ago. Many of the tracks off Damage and Joy contain obvious-to-subtle nods to past JAMC masterpieces. However, after nineteen years of virtual silence on the new music front, one may think that this release would be chocked-full of genre-defining material. Instead, JAMC came to the realization that their period of evolution has come to a close. It becomes apparent on this record that the musicians lack the usual spunk and attitude from previous releases. So instead of attempting to conquer a new genre or perform at the same level that they did in their twenties, the aged yet savvy musicians decided to create a record that pointed to such infamous works as Munki and Automatic, allowing the listener to either reminisce or discover the band’s true identity.
Sound: Sounds “Just Like”… the 90’s!
On their previous releases, The Jesus and Mary Chain concocted a sound from the noise rock of Sonic Youth, the punch of Dinosaur Jr., and the rhythm of The Stone Roses. All of their major hits were gritty, danceable, and drastically expressive. See “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” for a perfect example of this. On Damage and Joy, they maintain all of these characteristics but with a noticeable subdued air. The lead single, “Amputation” features much of the band’s token grit and attitude but not to the level that tracks off of Darklands or Stoned & Dethroned were able to do. “Amputation” is a prime example of the band deciding to infuse more synthetic beats and constructs on the albums new tracks. This certainly provides for a slightly new sound but not necessarily in a way that enhances the overall experience of the album. The new electronicness of Damage and Joy instead diminishes the gritty and grimy feel that fans of JAMC have been used to.
Proponents of “April Skies” will find a kindred spirit in “Facing up to Facts.” “Facing up to Facts” features an extremely dance-ready rhythm section that wouldn’t be out-of-place on Darklands. On this track, the band does a splendid job creating a new piece, while still efficiently alluding to a previous hit.
Vocals: Reid on Reid
Fortunately, lead singer Jim Reid’s voice hasn’t yet completely combusted as a result of old age. Somewhat amazingly, Reid is able to maintain his dangerously alluring fervor despite the fact that he’s 58. “All Things Pass”, and “Always Sad”, find Reid’s voice in a familiar yet somewhat weathered state. He still sounds like a distant cousin of J. Mascis, except now he doesn’t attempt to hit quite as many high notes as before. Melodically though, the Jesus and Mary Chain are still at their previous, pre-break-up altitude. The eighth song off the album, “Mood Rider” is the most complete yet nostalgic melodic experience: a four-minute expedition of the band’s previous melodic creations, featuring allusions to such favorites as “Just Like Honey”, and “I Hate Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
Production: Reid lost a good friend in the reverb…
Concerning production, Damage and Joy sticks out either positively or negatively in almost no direction. The vocals, guitars, and synths are for the most part leveled, and distorted adequately for this record. One of the only critiques concerns percussion. The previously mentioned danceability of select tracks on this record is created completely through use of synthetic drum machines, not with an actual drummer. On other songs, the drummer is almost completely indiscernible behind the vocals and associated instrumentation. It nearly felt as if the producers of this album were afraid to feature a more prominent percussion section for fear of offending or dishonoring previous JAMC albums. The resulting sound is a mixture of Collective Soul and tame Jesus and Mary Chain.
The most noticeable omission is the lack of reverb. Reid’s vocals are widely known for their dramatic reverberations and distortions a fact that helped groom JAMC as one of the premier alternative dance hall bands. This album includes virtually no dramatic reverb. Though Reid’s vocals are occasionally enhanced and dubbed, there is no effective echo or atmospheric at play on this album. The lack of reverb is the only part of this record that does not make allusion to previous songs. The fact that reverb is absent is slightly confounding. Many times, older vocalists who supposedly aren’t able to reach high notes as before will rely on the production tricks to make it seem as if they have the same vocal range as before. But alas, Jim Reid’s vocals are not hidden, or enhanced, we get the true, unadulterated version of the 58-year-old Scott.
Top Tracks:
“Amputation”
“All Things Pass”
“Mood Rider”
Other Members of the Damage and Joy Family:
Pixies: Head Carrier
Savages: Adore Life
Grandaddy: Last Place
All images from Spin
(04/04/17 9:46pm)
https://soundcloud.com/user-519363288/remixed-s1e5-all-things-warped-tour
This week on Remixed, we cover all things Warped Tour. We discuss what bands we're most excited about, the cultural phenomenon that is Warped Tour, and whether or not we'd be able to go. We also discuss Twenty One Pilots and their recently announced Tour de Columbus and the impact this tour has on the massive fanbase. Join us every Tuesday for your music reports, reviews, and remarks here on Remixed.
Hosts: Sarah James, Tyler Wheatley, Matthew Yapp
Graphic: Daley Wilhelm
Edited by: Sarah James
Follow us on iTunes!
(04/02/17 11:54am)
https://soundcloud.com/user-519363288/remixed-s1e4-covers-and-controversy
This week on Remixed, we talk about Weezer's newest song, Pentatonix's cover of John Lennon's "Imagine," the overwhelming controversy surrounding Snoop Dogg's "Lavender," and more.
Hosts: Sarah James and Dara Metcalfe
Graphic by: Daley Wilhelm
Edited by: Sarah James
Follow us on iTunes!
(03/30/17 4:25pm)
INstruct aims to teach viewers about how to play instruments. Our goal is to show people that music doesn't have to be a profession or lifestyle and can be just a hobby. During this episode of INstruct, Grant King, a junior construction management major, teaches the audience about how to play the G chord. King has been playing guitar for 10 years. He owns six guitars that he plays during is free time.
(03/28/17 11:00am)
by Ryan Fine
It has now been almost 35 years since Depeche Mode released their first great album, 1983’s "Construction Time Again." For two decades after that, the band released a continuous gauntlet of brilliant, influential electronic albums that still shape the musical landscape today. It’s important to know about the greatness of Depeche Mode, because their new album "Spirit" is a huge disappointment. In a weird way, to call it a disappointment is a compliment. With most surviving bands whose peak of popularity was in the early ‘90s, bad albums are now expected and therefore not disappointing at all. Depeche Mode is different. They were the poster children of consistency for so long that the sub-par quality of their last couple of albums has actually been hard to swallow.
Late-career musical stagnation continues
Spirit is Depeche Mode’s fourteenth album, so at this point it’s not surprising that they’re running out of ideas. If you’ve listened to "Delta Machine" or especially "Sounds of the Universe," you’re going to be hard-pressed to find anything musically new here to latch onto. The most sonically creative song on the album is probably the opener “Going Backwards”, which makes good use of sporadic, random noises despite its overly simple piano rhythms.
That’s about where the interesting music ends. “Where’s the Revolution” is catchy enough, but the verses are so flat and uninteresting that when the chorus kicks in and brings some excitement, the transition is actually jarring. From there, it only gets more basic. Several tracks (“The Worst Crime”, “Eternal” and “Fail”) are standard ballads with nothing notable to separate them from each other. “Cover Me” contains a decent buildup, which on its own makes the song a highlight, but it’s still nothing that would stand out on an album where the standards were higher.
On tracks like “Poison Heart” and “So Much Love”, Depeche Mode introduces more guitars into their sound than ever before. It’s great that they’re still playing around with new sounds, but becoming half a rock band just reveals how much better their sound works when it’s purely electronic. Especially when the lyrics of "Spirit" are so cynical with regard to politics, it would be a lot more effective to keep it sounding detached and synth-heavy.
Depeche Mode’s trademark emotional distance loses its charm
When Depeche Mode released their landmark album "Violator" back in 1990, the cold veneer of Martin Gore’s vocals on personal songs earned the band worldwide success. In 2017, they’re still trying to milk the same trick, but it has much less of an effect. Now that their production is so much cleaner and clearer than it was before, the monotony doesn’t work like it did before. It’s possible that Martin Gore is just getting old and losing his ability to provide a more emotional delivery, but the fact remains that the music and vocals don’t really mesh anymore.
A great example of this incongruity is “You Move,” a dance song that sounds like it could have been an outtake from "Violator." The instrumental track, while a little bit dirty and rough, sounds very typical and modern compared to the more experimental production they used when they were first getting popular. Gore tries to use a slightly wider vocal range on this song, but ends up sounding like he’s straining himself to reach the high notes. Since it is a simple dance-floor song with such creative lines as “I like the way you move for me tonight”, it really should sound a lot more effortless than it does.
Oversimplification of complex political issues
By and large, the main attraction of this album is that it’s the most overtly political Depeche Mode album to date. That’s not to say they’ve never been political before, but they’ve always done it with at least a little bit of subtlety. On "Spirit," the band is extremely direct about what they mean, and honestly, it doesn’t do them any favors. It seems like they’re making a political statement not because they actually have something important to say, but because it’s what everyone else is doing and they feel like they’re supposed to.
It’s not that "Spirit" doesn’t make bold statements. It’s just that it tries so hard to sound more important and innovative than it actually is. The lyrical goal of this album is to lead the listener to believe that repeatedly shouting “the President is bad” actually affects real change. Point in case: the lead single “Where’s the Revolution”. In this song, Gore tries to express his disappointment that the general public is not doing enough to address the worldwide political panic and rage. Ironically enough though, it seems that his best solution for the complicated problems facing the world is to write mediocre songs about them.
It would be less of an issue if it were done in a more creative way. On later songs from the record, like “Poorman”, it seems like the band isn’t even trying to raise a new way of thinking, instead simply reading facts to listeners as if they don’t already know them. The chorus of this song is “Corporations get the breaks / Keeping almost everything they make”. Apart from just not being very catchy, it’s also a bland sentiment that has been tackled many times before. The rest of the album follows the same formula time and time again. Depeche Mode has no problem calling the world out for not trying hard enough, but it’s rare that a real solution (or even a clever line) is presented anywhere on the album.
Where’s the revolution, indeed?
Best tracks:
“Going Backwards”
“Cover Me”
“No More (This is the Last Time)”
Recommended if you like:
Muse
Marilyn Manson
Massive Attack
All Images From: Depechemode
(03/28/17 10:00am)
by Preston Radtke
On their fourth full-length studio release, Real Estate continues to perfect their much-defined art and aesthetic despite noteworthy changes. The New Jersey-based dream pop outfit has wrought a consistent, yet unrevolutionary sound on their previous three albums. Real Estate molded the sounds and moods of early 2010’s Beach House, with the structural motifs of the Feelies and the instrumentals of (gasp) the Grateful Dead. This record, however, had the possibility to change and redefine Real Estate’s sound in many directions. Lead guitarist, and seminal “mood guru” Matt Mondanile, left the band in 2016 at the beginning of the writing for "In Mind." Former collaborator and band friend Julian Lynch was rather hastily brought into the fold and dropped right in the middle of the writing process. On "In Mind" though, it’s apparent that Lynch’s guitar work, while not band-altering or innovative, shares many of the same characteristics with his predecessor, thus allowing Real Estate to maintain their sound. The album as a whole focuses less on lyrics and explicit meaning and more on intrinsic reflection and instrumental mood setting.
Guitar (an entire section just for a guitar!)
Contrasting the lyric-driven experience that was 2014’s "Atlas," "In Mind’s" lead contributor was Julian Lynch, the somewhat new lead guitarist. Many previous Real Estate songs attempt to create a mood or feeling primarily through melodic drum sections or concise yet punctuated vocals. On this album however, the mood ran through Julian Lynch. Songs such as “After the Moon” and “Serve the Song” find Lynch’s guitar section as a catalyst for the song’s aesthetic. Both songs are very mellow and dreamy, in a guitar-based Beach House sort of way, yet it’s Lynch’s steady and efficient guitar playing that truly drives home the meaning and sense of the song. Other pieces, like the surprisingly radio-ready “Holding Pattern”, find Real Estate experimenting with traditional drum and lyrical constructs, only to be brought back to normalcy with a drawn-out mood altering guitar solo at the bridge. Lynch’s work on this album is so dominant and auspicious that Martin Courtney’s vocals operate more as a backing instrument, not the normal leading role that vocals usually fill.
Production: A Topographical Experience
"In Mind" is a slight study in geography concerning production. Close listening will reveal that Real Estate deviated from normal recording and overall band layout for this record. Traditionally, a studio or live band will feature the singer up front, the furthest from the drums/closest to the audience; behind him/her the guitarists usually stand to either side of the vocalist; off to the side at about the same level as the guitarists are any keyboardists or string players; the drummer is the furthest back, usually the most secluded and distant band member. The seclusion of the drummer allows for more contributive and backing sections that do not provide seminal parts to the experience. On this record though, Real Estate positioned the drummer either at the same level of the guitarists or off to the side, between the vocalist and guitarists. The resulting sound is a much louder and relevant drum section that somewhat overshadows Courtney’s vocals. Furthermore, the positioning of the drums allows for a parallel interplay between Lynch’s lead guitar and Alex Bleeker’s bass guitar. The sound that’s created by the parallelism of the guitars and drums annex Courtney’s vocals and make it a part of them. Again, instead of setting the mood vocally, Courtney’s contribution operates as a collaborative instrumental that shapes the entire mood of the song.
Innovation: Maybe They’ll Have Change In Mind Next Time
Real Estate has always been described as a “safe band.” Never dabbling in any taboo or racey subject matter, their music has been a cultural oasis for listeners who grow weary of concept and politically-infused records. Unfortunately, the band should progress on their fourth release. Real Estate needs to take a stand or occupy a more controversial emotional space in order to connect with the listener and remain relevant. On the other hand, Real Estate may be stagnating to remain different. The year 2017 has been described as “the year of the protest album” by Pitchfork. The current political and social landscape has wrought concept albums from artists as wide-ranging as Pissed Jeans to Girlpool. Listeners today expect, and at times demand, a social commentary on their band’s records. But Real Estate doesn’t do that; they attempt to drag the listeners back to a simpler time before “fake news”, WikiLeaks, and gender-neutral bathroom legislation. The problem is, "In Mind" isn’t so different from their previous three albums. They almost sound old and out-of-touch instead of classic and dependable. If Real Estate wanted to remain relevant while steering clear of controversial content, then they should have diversified their sound just slightly enough so that fans wouldn’t get frustrated and label them as “boring.”
Top Tracks:
“White Light”
“Stained Glass”
“Holding Pattern”
“Time”
Also in the In Mind Family:
The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream
Mac DeMarco: Salad Days
Atlas Sound: Logos
All images from Jambase
(03/23/17 7:11pm)
On March 14, 2017 celebrated Indie Pop/Folk vocalist Feist released the first new track off of her upcoming album: “Pleasure.” “Pleasure” is a progression yet an escape from her past work. The single is yet another track in a train of works that stylistically, vocally, contextually, and severely differs from her mainstream hit, “1234” off of 2007’s The Reminder. Contrasting “1234”, “Pleasure” is a sensual, stripped-down, Baroque-pop-leaning exploration of our carnal instincts as human beings and a Freudian analysis of what motivates men and women.
(03/23/17 7:00am)
by Preston Radke
On March 14, 2017 celebrated Indie Pop/Folk vocalist Feist released the first new track off of her upcoming album: "Pleasure." “Pleasure” is a progression yet an escape from her past work. The single is yet another track in a train of works that stylistically, vocally, contextually, and severely differs from her mainstream hit, “1234” off of 2007’s The Reminder. Contrasting “1234”, “Pleasure” is a sensual, stripped-down, Baroque-pop-leaning exploration of our carnal instincts as human beings and a Freudian analysis of what motivates men and women.
The track takes what seems like an eternity to get started; vocals and noticeable instrumentals aren’t apparent until the 30-second mark. The initial lyrics, “Get What I Want”, begin Feist’s vague and raw introspective on what motivates and initiates her sexual and emotional attraction to someone. Feist’s lyrics never come-right-out and talk about her attraction or motivations; instead she uses lines such as “I make sense of such a serious thing”, and “We became our needs”, to allude to a deeper, more base construct.
Instrumentally, the first minute-and-a-half sounds like vintage Feist. The down tempo electric guitar and minimal percussion reminds the listener of many tracks off of Metals, and The Reminder. At about the two-minute mark, though, the guitars pick up and produce a sequence that could only be described as a blend of classic rock, country, and aggressive folk. In other words, a guitar sequence that is completely new for Feist. Shocking as it was, the guitar sequence lasted for approximately ten seconds, allowing listeners to get a glimpse into what’s possibly to come on the rest of her album. The rest of the song then employs the use of distant horns. These horns paired with the pastoral guitar and her concise yet sharp vocals give the song an almost animalistic feel.
Feist’s vocal delivery very nearly resemble many standouts on 2011’s Metals. As Feist matures as a singer/songwriter, she takes fewer vocal risks, and carefully includes large, grand choruses and melodies. “Pleasure” finds Feist mostly maintaining the same volume and even melodic structure. The repeated ”we admit”, was the most drastic vocal climb she undertook. Again, this is a mass departure from “1234”, a radio-ready song full of vocal gymnastics and soaring melodies. The grittiness and utilitarian feel of "Pleasure" was exemplified by Feist’s voice saying only what needed to be said, at a volume discernible yet elusive. Feist utilizes quick, snappy stretches of lyrics made more for close listening and immediate interpretation. Yet the track also includes short stretches of drawn-out and accentuated verses representative of longing and neglect.
Also in the “Pleasure” Family:
Neko Case: “Middle Cyclone”
Grizzly Bear: “Hold Still”
Jose Gonzalez: “With the Ink of a Ghost”
Note: Feist announced on March 14 that her upcoming album, also titled Pleasure will be released on April 28 by Interscope Records.
All Images From: Musical Toronto
(03/21/17 10:05pm)
After five years of nomadic wandering in near irrelevance, The Shins surprisingly dropped an album. Heartworms is the fifth studio album by the New Mexico-based entity, following up 2012’s critically-acclaimed Port of Morrow. From the very beginning of the Shins, through all of their EP’s and LP’s, they strayed and scurried between three or four different somewhat-related genres within all of their albums. There’s the lo-fi indie-infused “New Slang” off of Oh, Inverted World, the fifties/sixties linked “Phantom Limb” from Wincing the Night Away, and the alt-pop classic “Simple Song” off of their 2012 release. But for the first time in their twenty-one year existence, the Shins may have strayed too far and too late. Heartworms dabbles in traditional Shins genres such as surf rock, indie rock, and traditional alternative rock. However, tracks like “Painting a Hole” and “Name for You” find the Shins crashing into the territory that is indie dance pop with confusing results. Unfortunately for the Shins, lead singer James Mercer still maintains his folk-leaning lyrical structures and delivery even on these new, beat-infused works. Furthermore, songs like “Cherry Hearts” and “Fantasy Island” see the Shins experimenting with some electronica and slight psychedelia. All of these stumbled-in-to-genre experiments all build to a singular question throughout the entire album: Is the rotating ensemble of bandmates and writers finally taking its toll on the Shins and rendering their music confused and misguided?
(03/21/17 6:44pm)
Husband-and-wife indie pop duo Tennis began their rise to power early this decade, growing an audience on the strength of simple, fun singles like “Marathon” and “Origins”. It’s been a few years since then, but for better or for worse, their sound has stayed remarkably consistent. Yours Conditionally is their fourth album together, released after switching labels for the second time in three years. On this record the band once again makes only minor adjustments to their sound, and to their credit, all of the changes are marked improvements.